The True Meaning of Christmas (is Doctor Who, of course)

"Maybe Christmas, the Grinch thought, doesn't come from a store." - Dr. Seuss


Christmas...is a difficult holiday for me. Mainly because I really, really, want to adore it, and then don't. I don't have the religious aspect going for me, and "OMG SANTA" was over a long time ago.


I once woke up at 3:30 a.m. and couldn't get back to sleep Christmas morning because I was just that excited.


Now it's not Christmas Day I'm looking forward to at all (except for Doctor Who). It's today, and fancy dinner with my family. But I always look forward to seeing my aunt and uncle and cousins, so what's different? Nothing, really. We'll have a good time, and I'll be happy, but not because of Christmas.


My sister asked me what I wanted as a present about a week ago. I said I didn't want much of anything.
"You're boring. Why don't you want stuff?"
"Because I don't want stuff just to have stuff."
She made a face and said, "That's the difference between you and me."


That's the thing about Christmas: stuff isn't meaningful, unless it's a gift with sentimental value. But gifts with sentimental value aren't meaningful because of what they are. They're meaningful because they invoke memories of experiences, and people. And those are what do matter.


Which is why the Grinch Who Occupied Whoville kind of failed, of course. You guys know all of this already. But see, experiences and people aren't tied just to a holiday. So maybe it's okay that I'm not over the moon about today and tomorrow anymore.


The one holiday-related thing that really made me smile this year wasn't strictly about Christmas at all. It's a book called the Latke Who Couldn't Stop Screaming, by Lemony Snicket. It is a beautiful, beautiful thing. And downright hilarious. And I adore it.

Debate Christmas Carols

"One of the greatest joys known to man is to take a flight into ignorance in search of knowledge." - Robert Lynd


"Truly great madness cannot be achieved without significant intelligence." - Henrik Tikannen


Somehow managed to win first place in my event at the debate tournament today. It helps that 3/4 of my opponents had never debated before, but hey.


That's not terribly important, though. The thing that actually matters is that we spent  a couple of hours before rounds started writing alternative versions to Christmas carols on the tables (which were graciously covered with paper specifically for that purpose). Later we ripped the sections off and placed them into our smuggling tubs (which are mainly used for food): The Millenium Falcon, and Serenity.


No, they're not supposed to have the right number of syllables or necessarily rhyme. If you are amused, that is wonderful. If not, just ignore this.


"Oh Holey Logic," written and then sung by me and Josh Williams (for the probably two of you that means something to).


Oh, hole-y logic
Your fallacies are blinding
They make my brain
Hurt as if it's being hit by rocks
The joys of pain- 
Your case just simply crumbles
It falls on the ground
In a heap of useless nonsense
Oh logic
So flawed!
In the round that I just won.


"Hark Harold the Union Worker Sings" (in reference to the debate topic "current economic disparities threaten democratic ideals") Written by me, very late last night. The sad thing is, I went to bed at midnight and got up before 6 and there were tons of people there who had gotten way less sleep than I did.


"Hark!" Harold the Union Worker sings
"I'd like more collective bargaining!
Peace on the floor, and hours mild
Wages to feed my newborn child"
Angered, all ye workers rise
Join the protest to get the prize
When the CEO proclaims
"Perhaps we can agree on something"
"Hark!" Harold the Union Worker sings
"That's what I call collective bargaining!"


Then, in reference to the topic that I was actually debating ("individuals have a moral obligation to assist people in need,"), there is "Grandma Got Run Over By A Bus (and I don't have a moral obligation to help her)" Written by my other friend.


Grandma got run over by a bus
Jogging home from our house Christmas Eve
You may say I have a moral obligation to help her
But as for me and Grandpa, in Con we believe.


"God Rest Ye Merry Bourgeoise" Kind of a conglomerate of authorship. 


God rest ye merry bourgeoise
Let nothing you dismay
Democracy was founded to rich, make you stay
To save you all from poverty when the money goes away
Oh, tidings of tax cuts and joy
Tax cuts and joy!
Oh, tidings of tax cuts and joy!


There were a few more, but those are the best and most complete.


I'll probably write up a few more anecdotes about the actual tournament tomorrow, but these are for either your enjoyment or "god, she's insane"-ment for now. :)

Will Grayson: The Counter-Post

“Love is hard and love is messy, and it can hurt worse than fire and sometimes it makes you want to tear down a building with your bare hands. But it also happens to be the best thing that’s ever happened to me. And I’m obviously not a big fan of hyperbole.” - Hank Green


"Christmas isn't a season. It's a feeling." - Edna Ferber


This is a counter post to this one on The Liberal Rocker, so please read that first. Yes, we all know that I am rather biased on this topic, but I am going to try to be as fair and objective as possible, so don't toss aside what I say just because of that. I've been meaning to write this post for awhile, and now seems like a good time to do it.


WARNING: Some spoilers of Looking for Alaska.


"Going into this book I had one problem with John Green, I felt that he had appointed himself the savior of YA Literature and saw it as his duty to push the envelope."


I'm not exactly sure what this means, nor do I know what this opinion is founded on, therefore I can't really refute it. However, I will say that there is a difference between believing you made YA better and believing you are the "savior" of it. 


"Coming out of this book I have another problem with him, all his characters are the same. Seriously, Will Grayson is almost exactly the same as the main character from Paper Towns. "


"All of his characters," no. Will and Quentin? Yes, they are similar.
I suppose that this is a matter of taste. I am predisposed to like anything John does, granted, so maybe if I weren't, I would also have a problem with it. I do find both Quentin and Will to be thoroughly entertaining narrators, though, so I don't mind reading two books from that perspective. 
As for whether or not it is a mark of a good novelist, well, not really. It could be argued that he's pointing out that all people are essentially the same on the inside and it's only our situations and backgrounds that make us different (which is something he's frequently talked about in videos), but I doubt that philosophy was behind it. I think it just turned out that way, and some people will find it annoying, and others will not.
Also, just because their voices are the same doesn't mean that they are the same. Outside of themselves, they are completely different, if that makes any sense. It's not just the personality that makes the person. Our surroundings determine our actions just as much as our "selves" do. I believe that the "soul" is just half of the person. Just like how when you get married, you're not marrying one person. You're marrying an entire family. Your new spouse is only half the package.


I believe you also once said that "all of his books read exactly the same."


My question is this: If they do read exactly the same, is that a bad thing?


Yes, Pudge, Colin, Quentin, and Will all share traits. They all sound somewhat the same within their minds. However, they are in totally different situations, battling totally different aspects of life. Pudge struggles to come to terms with the death of a friend. Colin faces the unfortunate fact that love cannot be treated as a science. Quentin realizes that he isn't the only complex person in the world, while Will learns to be brave and Lowercase Will deals with people.
Even if the books were all based around one narrator, there are different things to be learned from each one. There are different things to laugh at, different characters to love, and different issues to deal with.
Even with Looking for Alaska and Paper Towns, which I think are the most similar in plot: 
Pudge thinks about life, death, and religion, while Quentin ponders how we view each other and ourselves.
If you mean they read exactly the same in regards to style, well, don't all authors have a style? That's what makes you like an author, as opposed to a book by that author. 
The summary of a John Green book: Somewhat nerdy teen with a specific quirk and lovable friends confronts an issue that is easily related to by teen readers through humor and character-recognized metaphor.
Either you like that plot line, or you don't. I do, and therefore I don't mind that the books are the same.


But back to Will Grayson, Will Grayson.


"There is no reason for the characters to meet (though it was handled well) as it doesn't really do much for the plot. Really, nothing happens in this book. And don't even get me started on the ending. "


The characters don't meet because they are the main characters. They are the main characters because they meet. 
The entire basis of the book was two people with the same name coming together. They started with that, and then built the plot around it.
David Levithan's best friend is David Leventhal, and either Levithan or Leventhal's college roommate was a different person named John Green, although I don't think that last bit was a factor in their deciding to work together on the book.
The Levithan/Leventhal coincidence prompted Levithan to want to write a book with a similar meeting, and that's how the book grew.


"Nothing happens in this book." I guess it depends on what you want to happen. It's a book about teenagers doing stuff. There aren't any vampires, or evil governments, or parents who are Greek gods. There's nothing to make them unique. They're just people. Some like to read such books, and some don't. 


The ending... all right. You have a point there. 


"David Levithan is one of my favorite writers and he has actually saved YA Literature (namely by editing the Hunger Games)."


I'm not the only biased one in the house tonight, folks.
(Yes, David Levithan is an excellent author and The Hunger Games was beyond fantastic, but I will not let you get away with that.)


"(John Green) also put in some cool band references as he has done in at least one of his previous works (Billy Bragg was referenced in Paper Towns)."


You can't give good author-cred to someone just because they mention musicians you like. Christopher Paolini watches Doctor Who. There's even a reference to it within Brisingr.
That doesn't mean Eragon doesn't copy a ton of stuff from Lord of the Rings (and if anyone wants to contest that, I literally have pages of notes I wrote in middle school -- when I was obsessed with the Inheritance Cycle and had nothing better to do -- of comparisons between it and Lord of the Rings. Who's a geek? Yeah, I'm a geek).


"This Year David Levithan has another collaboration coming out called Dash and Lilly's Book Of Dares which is far far far superior."


I have requested this book. We shall see. I'm actually afraid that I will end up agreeing with you.


"Three and a Half stars out of Five"


Oddly enough, I don't give it much better than that: 4 for book-quality, and 5 for how much I enjoyed it.

Christmas Cheer, Presence Thereof

"Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some hire public relations officers." - Daniel J. Boorstin


As soon as I published the post I wrote yesterday, I began to wish I hadn't. I could have deleted it with none of you any the wiser. However, it was how I felt at the time, and I wanted to be honest with all of you.


That being said, my mood has improved considerably over the past 20 hours.


I will admit that I was unfair yesterday, but I maintain that I did have some good points. Both of you in the comments were also right.


So here's a summary:


We went to my aunt's house for a traditional Polish Christmas Even dinner, ate more gingerbread than should ever be consumed in one sitting, and met my cousin's girlfriend of more than one year.


Christmas Eve is the one day that I enjoy going to church, and the fact that so many of my neighbors were there to support my sister singing her solo of "O Holy Night," well, it was even better than normal. 
After she finished, the pastor lit a candle from the altar, and the ushers lit theirs from his, proceeding down the aisles to pass it along to all of us at the ends, who then handed the flame to our neighbors. The lights were turned off. After Nicole finished, the entire congregation sang "Silent Night" in the darkness with candles illuminating all of our faces. By the last verse, our organist had stopped singing and it was just a bunch of people singing a-capella. It was beautiful, and I loved it.


We went home and messed around for awhile and opened our one Christmas Eve Present each (despite it being after midnight), and then went upstairs to go to bed-- all in the bonus room, as is our tradition. I've slept in some interesting places by being required to be in the same room as them. We agreed that if two of us were awake post 6:30, we could wake the other up (which means that they agreed to wake me up). 


Cut to morning. Dad was next door until almost 4 helping them mount their new TV on the wall, get the PS3 set up and all of the games installed, and Mom always has trouble sleeping. We take our stockings into their room and open them there (during which I manage to spill a cup of water all over their floor). Chocolate oranges, flash drives, and loads of socks each, plus a writing magazine for me and one or two other things. We're all joking around with each other, not arguing, not angry, not spiteful, just happy and together and whatnot.


Enter living room where the rest of the presents are.


The award for the Most Creative Wrapping goes to Dad, for using all of his Crystal Light tubes from the past year taped together in twos to make tubes.
The award for Best Present (so far) also goes to him, having made me a wand on his lathe. Then, upon seeing how much I loved it, he began to tear up. I ask him why, and he says "because I spent so much time working on it and thinking about how much I love you." So that makes it The Best By Far I Don't Care What Other People Did. That is what Christmas is about, people. 


Right now, my grandma and 9 year-old cousin are over, and we're getting ready for our Fancy Christmas Breakfast, with bacon and pancakes and goodness. Then it's off to my other aunt's for more presents and cookies and stuff.


For Sarah (who is 11), I decided to give her my copies of a series she likes. I own(ed) 5 of the books, and wanted to wrap them separately. To make it more entertaining, I included scraps of a poem called "You Know."
Book 1: "You know it was Olivia when the poem is slipped in post wrapping."
Book 2: "You know it was Olivia when the present is badly wrapped."
Book 3: (which came with a shirt inside a hat box) "You know it was Olivia when the present is in a container that doesn't match its shape."
Book 4: "You know it was Olivia when it has WheezyWaiter references." This had a picture of Craig Benzine himself drawn by me (which means a stick figure with a beard) and a speech bubble on the cover of the book with Wheezy-isms written in. This she found very amusing.
Book 5 (wrapped just as a book without a bigger box): "You know it was Olivia when it's a book."
Then, as an afterthought, I wrapped up my copy of Twilight with "Actually, you know it was Olivia when it was a book you didn't want" along with some wooden stakes for stabbing vampires. I have a history of giving them books I don't want anymore, so as to make space on my shelves for ones I do want. I have limited shelf space.


So in conclusion, I'm in a good mood, I like Christmas again, and it's time for me to go because while I love my laptop, that's not what the holiday's about. :)

Christmas Cheer, Lack Thereof

"Nobody ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American public." - H. L. Mencken


If you're in a fantastic Christmas mood, don't read this post. It will only depress you. Also, it's just a big rant so I won't hold it against you if you don't read it.


I have very little Christmas spirit. I haven't for about 5 years.
I don't want to be one of those "Christmas is so commercial wah wah wah" people, but I sort of am. I'm not even one of the ones who say "Put the Christ back into Christmas!" No, I don't think that's the problem. Secular Christmas can mean something to those above the age of 9-10. It just doesn't. Not to me.
Christmas is either about presents, family, decorations, or (according to South Park) ham. 


Presents:
I don't mind people wanting to give me stuff. I just hate when people feel obligated to give me stuff. So you're my relative. You barely see me. You don't know me. So don't bother.
Then there's the idea of the Christmas list. When you're writing to Santa, sure. But when your mom just says "email me your Christmas list," well, I'm getting what I want instead of random stuff I'll never use, but the magic and the fun is gone.
That's why my dad never asks for our lists. He figures he knows us well enough to buy stuff we'll like, and we'll still be surprised. That is what Christmas should be. Finding the perfect gifts for your loved ones and then surprising them. That's why I'm most excited for whatever it is Emily ordered me from ThinkGeek. I know she'll have found something I love, and I know she's not buying it out of obligation, and I have no idea what it is. Hey, I found some Christmas joy there. SCORE ONE for Dad, and SCORE TWO for Emily.


Family:
Meet Obligation once more. There's a difference between getting together because it's Christmas and you have to, or because it's Christmas and you're normally too busy to see each other and wish you got together more often so christmas gives you motivation to make the time.
But is it Christmas, or the stuff surrounding it? Dad didn't want me to go up to NY with my cousins on Sunday because he wants us to spend time together as a family. That's nothing to do with the holiday-- it's just that we don't have school and he and Mom don't have work.
I'd love to spend some time with my friends--the family of my own choosing-- but where are most of them? Away, seeing relatives, or I don't bother to ask because the holidays are supposed to be with family and I don't want to tear them away from that because it would be...I don't know, rude or something.
SCORE THREE for this afternoon, SCORE FOUR for all of our neighbors coming to church when they usually don't to hear my sister sing, and lack of score for any hanging out I do with friends because it won't be because of Christmas--just the lack of school.


Decorations:
I hate Christmas cards. I hate them. I hate them. I hate them.
That being said, I know they mean a lot to some people, and when I receive them from those people, I feel no animosity. Also, I love the "Christmas letters" that update the recipients about the goings-on of the family and their kids. But the ones that just have a cute little saying or a Bible verse and a picture on them? They're pointless.
Lights on a tree and on the mantlepiece? All right. Candles in the windows? Gorgeous. Luminaries? Love them. But some people...go overboard. It's like when we see a car with a fish or cross sticker on the back and my dad yells "OH YEAH? WELL I AM WAY MORE CHRISTIAN THAN YOU!" which is funny because he's totally not. Those houses are practically shouting "We like Christmas more than you! Nah nah nah nah nah!" Whoville grosses me out. 
Also, I hate all of the modern Christmas music they play on the radio. Partially because of the style, and partially because it's on the radio. Let's have some CDs playing, please. 
(Speaking of Christmas music, this is a Christmas song that I love)
SCORE FIVE for my neighbors and my ex-neighbors, who have candles in their windows. SCORE SIX for my dad's cousin, who sent us a Christmas letter.




Ham:
Yum.


Basically, what I want is for us to observe Christmas traditions not because that's just what you do, but because it means something to us. 
I am about to write a Christmas letter on behalf of my family, because my mom didn't see the point.
And I'm sorry that I haven't made all of you anything for whatever holiday you celebrate this time of year except for a pessimistic rant. Some present that is.
I said most of this to my dad earlier, and he said, "Well, if Christmas isn't doing it for you, we could do some pagan rituals."
So we talked about pagan solstice rituals for awhile.


My total score of Christmas cheer was a 6. Not the greatest, but higher than 0, which is where I was at when I started this post.


Enjoy yourselves, and make this holiday worthwhile for you.